MINDFUL EMPLOYER – Devon Partnership NHS Trust

MINDFUL EMPLOYER started in 2004 as small, local initiative in the Exeter and has since grown to be UK-wide and has been launched abroad. The initiative which is run by Devon Partnership NHS Trust but is completely self-financing provides businesses and organisations with easier access to information, resources, mental health awareness training and signposting to local support to help support the mental wellbeing of staff.

Co-Production

From start: Yes

During process: Yes

In evaluation: Yes

Evaluation

Peer: Yes

Academic: Yes

PP Collaborative: Yes

Find out more

What We Did

MINDFUL EMPLOYER started in 2004 as small, local initiative in the Exeter and has since grown to be UK-wide and has been launched abroad. The initiative which is run by Devon Partnership NHS Trust but is completely self-financing provides businesses and organisations with easier access to information, resources, mental health awareness training and signposting to local support to help support the mental wellbeing of staff.

MINDFUL EMPLOYER provides: Charter for Employers who are Positive About Mental Health – a voluntary, set of aspirations for employers to work towards. This recognises that changing attitudes to mental health is a generational matter. It’s not an accreditation or a quality standard and since 2004, over 1,600 employers have been a signatory at some point. Please see www.mindfulemployer.net/charter for more details and a list of current signatories. (We also have contact details for approx 750 employers who are not signatories and they are equally able to access what we offer).

Mental health awareness workshops for managers and staff. These have been delivered across the UK to a wide range of organisations – see www.mindfulemployer.net/awareness for details and list or organisations who have commissioned and attended these.

An extensive range of links and other documents are available on our website http://www.mindfulemployer.net/support where there are also examples of good practice and the difference the initiative has made – http://www.mindfulemployer.net/business/difference/

From 1 April 2017 we will be providing a telephone helpline for staff and an adviceline for managers specifically for employers who are Charter signatories.

In the past we have been directly involved in the work of government particularly through Dame Carol Black and Dept for Work & Pensions, Centre for Mental Health and previous initiatives such as Shift, CSIP and NIMHE.

Wider Support

We have an effective, informal partnership agreement which enables other organisations with expertise in supporting employers in relation to mental wellbeing of staff to promote their work co-branded with Mindful Employer. These are located in different parts of the country and offer varying facilities according to their own capacity and funding arrangements. Currently, these partners are:

Co-Production

MINDFUL EMPLOYER was developed and continues to be supported and developed by the MINDFUL EMPLOYER Advisory group which comprises of representatives of local employers. A list of members is shown at www.mindfulemployer.net/about. Some of those attending have personal experience of mental ill health.

Over the years many people with lived experience have helped develop and promote the initiative as part of their professional role (for example, HR & occupational health specialists, business owners & directors, line managers, other employees etc) by offering feedback and ideas for further development.

Looking Back/Challenges Overcome

Had we anticipated back in 2004 that the initiative would grow so much we would have undoubtedly had a more developed strategy and sought funding. That said, the organic, unexpected growth has been a real privilege and joy. We did receive some funding in the first 4 years and when that ended we introduced fees for various aspects and that has not diminished the interest. The growth has meant increased demands on our service – in particular administration due to the sheer number of employers becoming involved but because we generate income we have been able increase administrative staff hours to meet that demand. There is considerable demand for our training and we have met that by employing people on a bank basis.

Sustainability

The benefits of not having funding have meant that we do not have to worry about what’s going to happen in a year’s time, The fees and charges we have in place cover all costs and generate valuable income for our parent NHS Trust. The main Lead for the initiative is retiring in Dec 2018 and succession planning is already underway to ensure not only a clear handover but also sustained maintenance and future growth of the overall initiative.

Evaluation (Peer or Academic)

A qualitative study at MSc level published in July 2012, supported by Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Sheffield Hallam University considers how MINDFUL EMPLOYER has improved employer support for staff with mental health conditions. Containing recommendations and practical suggestions which employers can implement within the aims and aspirations of their own business. See http://www.mindfulemployer.net/files/4213/7415/0483/Mindful_Employer_Evaluation.pdf

Outcomes

Please see information and links shown above. The initiative supports employers (both Charter signatories and non-signatories) in a variety of ways. It’s aim is to equip employers (in particular, line managers) to support staff. Every Charter signatory submits a review of their commitment to us two years after signing and every 3 years thereafter. These reviews often include examples of how individual members of staff have benefited from the support in place.

Mindful Employer has been a significant (if at times under-recognised at national level) player in the overall improvement in understanding about mental ill health and the change sin workplace cultures and we see ourselves as complementing (not competing) other initiatives such as Time to Change, Business in the Community, CIPD, Workplace Wellbeing Charter, Mind Blue Light Campaign etc.

Sharing

Yes, in the sense that a lot of what we do is shared via our website at www.mindfulemployer.net and through social media. We often speak at conferences, have been involved in government work in the past and are about to start a new project in conjunction with Fresh Thinking Labs part of Workplace Innovation, a not-for-profit organisation committed to better, more productive ways of working.

Is there any other information you would like to share?

Yes, in the sense that a lot of what we do is shared via our website at www.mindfulemployer.net and through social media. We often speak at conferences, have been involved in government work in the past and are about to start a new project in conjunction with Fresh Thinking Labs part of Workplace Innovation, a not-for-profit organisation committed to better, more productive ways of working.

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This site is supported by the Positive Practice in MH Collaborative, Breakthrough MH Ltd, the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health and Otsuka Health Solutions